Tank-filling apparatus



May 27, 1930. c, w Ms ET AL 1,760,391

TANK FILLING APPARATUS Filed June 23, 1927 I N VEN TOR.

6 1E, Zzama J .Jalznsofl ATTORNEY.

Patented May 27, 1930 UNITED sarss PATENT OFFICE CHARLES E. WILLIAMS AND JOHN A. JOHNSON, 0F FRANKFORI, INDIANA, ASSIGNORS T0 INDIANA BRASS COMPANY, OF FRANKFORT, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA I TANK-FILLING APPARATUS Application filed June 23, 1927. Serial No. 200,925.

This invention relates to tank filling apparatus and more particularly to the construction of the ball cocks of flush tanks.

An important object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is so constructed that the annoying whistling sound ordinarily accompanying the closing off of the outlet controlled by the ball cock is eliminated.

A further object of the invention is to pro duce a device of this character which may be employed in combination with other features now in common use without in any way interfering with the use of these features or necessitating a material change in the construction of the ball cock and which will when so used produce a noiseless tank filling control.

These and other objects we attain by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of our invention and wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a ball cock constructed in accordance with our invention, the hush pipe being shown partially in section;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the ball cock, the after-fill pipe being shown in dotted lines.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally indicates the body of a ball cock having in its bottom a removable plug inlet 11 adapted to be connected with the supply pipe 12 and having its upper surface formed as a valve seat 13 for coaction with a valve 14 which, by the rise and fall of the float (not shown), is operated through link and lever mechanism, generally designated at 15. The valve lt has at its lower end the usual washer 16 for engagement with the seat 13. In the ordinary con struction of the ball cock, as this washer approaches the seat 13 and thus restricts the out let opening, the volume of water under pres sure entering through the port 17 of the plug 11 whistles because of its rapid passage through the gradually diminishing outlet and the whistle increases in shrillness and pitch as the washer approaches the seat.

In accordance with our invention, we provide upon the lower end of the valve 14 a small plunger 18 which, in external diameter, closely approximates the internal diameter of the port 17. In actual practice, where this port is nine thirty-seconds of an inch in diameter at its outlet end, the proper diameter of the plunger is seven thirty-seconds of an inch. The lower end of this plunger is ab ruptly tapered, as indicated at 19, and when the valve is fully opened, is postitioned immediately above the upper end of the port 17. As is well known to those familiar with the art, the movement of the ball cock and of the float controlling the same usually accompanies only a small portion of the rise and fall of liquid within the tank and accordingly the closure does not start until the tank is nearly filled to its proper level. As soon as the ball starts to rise, the lower end of the plunger enters the port 17, reducing the inlet aperture to a point where it is considerably below that of the outlet space provided between the washer and the seat 13, so that the speed of movement of the water leaving the orifice is reduced rather than increased, as in the ordinary structure and accordingly cannot attain the speed necessary to produce the objectionable whistling noise. Such a cock structure, when employed in combination with the usual spiral casting 20 in the outlet or hush tube 21 of the valve and with an adjustable valve 22 for regulating the passage of water from the after-fill port 23, will produce a tank filling device which is noiseless in its operation and may be produced at a cost but slightly exceeding that of the ordinary ball-cock.

Since the construction hereinbefore set forth is capable of a certain range of change and modification without materially departing from the spirit of the invention, we do not limit ourselves to such specific structure except as hereinafter claimed.

We claim a In a ball-cock for flush tanks, a valve body having an inlet and an outlet and provided about the inlet with a valve seat, a valve for coaction with said seat to control communication between the inlet and outlet and disposed therebetween, and. a plunger carried by said valve entering the inlet upon initial closing movement of the valve to reduce the flow space thereof to a point such that the outlet space between the valve and valve seat exceeds the flow space of the inlet until the valve is substantially seated, said plunger comprising a cylindrical body of a length slightly less than the distance through which the valve is shifted in moving from closed to open position and being of slightly less diame'ter than the bore of the inlet, and the lower end of the plunger being abruptly tapered and located immediately above the in et when the valve is open.

In testimony whereof we hereunto ailix our signatures.

CHARLES E. WILLIAMS. JOHN A. JOHNSON. 

